Far Away
by xEclipsedx
Summary: Inoue Is Back, But New Problems Arise When A New Boy Has It Out For Ichigo's Already Faltering Bound With Inoue. When Old Enemies Come Back For A Second Round, Can Ichigo Save What Is Already Breaking. IchixHime


"_**Far Away**_"

_**By xEclipsedx**_

_Inoue Is Back, But New Problems Arise When A New Boy Has It Out For Ichigo's Already Faltering Bound With Inoue. When Old Enemies Come Back For A Second Round, Can Ichigo Save What Is Already Breaking. Or Will Self Doubt Shatter It Completely? "Time Is Running Out!" _

_IchixHime, Slight RenxRuki and IshixTats_

_And The Hourglass Flips, Sand Begins To Fall, Soon To Stop..._

_Without A Sound_

When Kurosaki Ichigo wandered back into his abandoned classroom after school to pick up some books he left behind he never expected to see this.

Actually, never expected Inoue to stray from where he left her... by HIS side, but it seemed that hoping a person to stay where he left them had been mistake. Staring at Inoue and the new boy, Kanturo, with their lips pressed together, he knew it was true.

"I..." His mouth seemed to move on it's own as his eyes imprinted the scene into his brain. The sudden sound startled the female half of the couple as she pulled out of Kanturo's grip. There was a smacking noise as her mouth left his. Her lips looked swollen...

"Ku-Kurosaki-Kun!"

Ichigo's chocolate orbs glanced from the ember haired girl to Kanturo, who was licking his own lips, smirking mockingly at him. '_I got here first.._.' His eyes just seemed to scream it.

He gained control over his tongue. He turned swiftly away from the two, his shocked and subtly hurt expression fading . "Don't let me interrupt." And with that he left from the door he came through.

"Wait! Kurosaki- Kun!" Inoue called after the departing boy. As soon as her body began to move, her wrist was grabbed in an attempt to keep her there.

"C'mon Orihime-Chan! He doesn't even care. Look, he's probably already left the school and hey, I know-"

Kanturo turned his head just in time to see the form of Orihime's retreating back, as he clutched onto his cheek. His face was throbbing from the strength of her slap.

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Orihime arrived home quicker than she excepted as she forced open the door to her apartment and ran past a surprised Matsumoto with a half eaten candy bar in her mouth, surrounded by wrappers and magazines.

"Orihime! Hey! What's wrong?!" she called after her as the first wave of the girl's sobs reached her ears. Her answer was the bedroom door slamming in her face.

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Ichigo's school bag hit the floor of his room with a dull thud after he finally made it to the bedroom after ignoring every question his younger sisters threw at him. Not paying attention to the slight flutter of his bedroom curtains that usually told him of the arrival of Rukia or any of the other many shingami he knew, he mooched along the hall to the bathroom.

"Ichi-nii?" called a young light brown-haired girl as she walked up the first floor steps. "Ichi-nii. You never answered me. Hey, what would like for dinner to night?" Figuring the teenage boy must be in the bathroom after noting the closed and locked door, she pressed her ear to the hardwood.

"Ichigo?" The sound of the hot water faucet turning on greeted her.

With a sigh, Yuzu drifted back down the stairs to where her father and sister waited for their own dinner.

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"Now, what did you have to ask me?" asked a short, onyx haired woman as she jumped nimbly through the opened window of Ichigo's room, her feet touching softly to his desk than the floor. A taller and full chested blond soon followed her.

"I didn't actually have talk to you, Rukia-san , it's more Ichigo I need to speak too."

Rukia blinked. It wasn't so often that people needed to speak to her friend in a emergency.

"Why?"

The honey blond sighed. "Orihime-chan. She came home today in a crying fit."

"Crying? Now why would she be doing a thing like that? She seemed perfectly happy with sticking her tongue down Kanturo's throat."

The two female soul reapers turned their attention to the bright haired boy, that stood clad in the doorway of his room in a t-shirt and sweatpants. His orange hair was still dripping with access water.

Rukia's violet eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

He scowled. "I caught them... kissing." The word still seemed strange in his mouth.

"Didn't you say Kanturo? He only started-"

Ichigo interrupted her. "Three days ago? Tell that to them." He crossed the room and flopped onto his bed, his stomach facing the ceiling.

Matsumoto blinked herself before speaking to the annoyed boy. "Ichigo, it sounds like your hurt. Why would that be?" Her tone seemed teasing at the end of her sentence.

_That's because it hurts..._

"It's not like that," he scowled again. "She's my nakama and I want to protect her. That's it." He tossed his legs over the side of the bed and stood. Ruffling his hair with the towel around his neck one more time, he tossed it into the basket of dirty clothes near the closet before making his way to the hallway.

"Ichigo," Matsumoto called and Ichigo paused. "Would you like it better if Orihime was tasting your lips?"

The young shingami slammed the door so hard, a cup of half chewed pencils fell from the desk and spilled across the rug.

"He's jealous."

"Yes," Rukia agreed her eyes closing, "And feeling betrayed."

The buxom blond shook her head. "He's acting like they were already together and she was unfaithful to him."

Rukia sighed. "He's a bit of territorial person, I suppose."

"He doesn't have claim on her."

The onyx-haired woman's gaze shifted to the window and the golden light that shimmered through it.

"Do you remember the day Ichigo learned that Inoue had been taken to Hueco Mundo?"

Matsumoto gave a sad smile in return. "Yes, he acted like his whole world had shattered."

Rukia smiled too. "There's something between them that I can't see or even begin to understand but, I feel it. Every time she looks at him and he too her. That warmth..."

"Honestly, Rukia-san, you should be able to see love's affection, after all you and Renji-kun have that spark."

Rukia flushed. "I-uh..." The heat was coming into her face quite quickly.

Matsumoto brushed a strand of golden hair behind her ear before turning to the embarrassed soul reaper. "Well, hun we should go to Orihime-chan's place. Taichou said he and Ukitake had a message for us."

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_Yay! chapter one is done. Woo! Oh and hey, I'll have more on Kanturo later._

_Don't worry this story is IchiHime all the way!_

**Next Time:**_** Shifting Gears  
**_


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